The activist Teesta Setalvad has beeen taken into the custody by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) just next day after the judgement by Supreme Court which urged action against persons who had made false allegations against State of Gujarat regarding its handling of the 2002 communal riots
A clean chit was given by Supreme Court to the PM Narendra Modi who was the Chief Minister of Gujarat during the time of riots.
The Apex court has come down badly on the former Gujarat Police officials RB Sreekumar and Sanjiv Bhatt as well as proclaimed activist in its judgment.
It was a complaint by the police officer of the crime branch which led to the arrest of Teesta Setalvad.
The arrest of Setalvad was based on a complaint by a police officer at Crime Branch, Ahmedabad who claimed that Setalvad along with certain investigation officers and unknown others conspired and forged records and evidence thereby committing offences under the Indian Penal Code.
As of now Setalvad has been taken into custody and detained at the Santacruz police station.she is due to be taken to Gujarat where she shall be produced before a Judicial Magistrate.
Setalvad has been slapped provisions under Sections 194 (giving or fabricating false evidence), 211 (false charge of offence), 218 (Public servant framing incorrect record), 468 (Forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using forged document as genuine) and 120B (Criminal conspiracy) of IPC.
On Friday,the Apex court dismissed the plea by Zakia Jafri, wife of former Congress Member of Parliament Ehsan Jafri who had challenged the Gujarat High Court’s decision of 2017 upholding the Magistrate’s decision to accept the closure report filed by the SIT in the case.
The Apex court before dismissing While dismissing the plea, remarked that it has made certain objections against Gujarat officials, including former DGP of the State RB Sreekumar, terming them “disgruntled”.
The Court said that there was a united effort was put forward by the disgruntled officials of the State of Gujarat to create sensation by making revelations that were false to their own knowledge.
“At the end of the day, it appears to us that a coalesced effort of the disgruntled officials of the State of Gujarat along with others was to create sensation by making revelations which were false to their own knowledge. The falsity of their claims had been fully exposed by the SIT after a thorough investigation,” the judgment had said.
The Supreme Court said that officers with ulterior motive of “keeping potbboiling”should be in a dock.
As for the case the present proceedings have been pursued for last 16 years questioning the integrity of every functionary involved in the process of exposing the devious stratagem adopted to borrow the submission of learned counsel for the SIT to keep the pot boiling, obviously, for ulterior design.
The observation of The Apex court were cited in the judgement delivered on Friday.
As per the complaint Setalvad had concocted and forged facts, documents and evidence including fabrication of documents by persons who were prospective witnesses of the complainant which led them to depose through ‘pre-typed affidavits’.
The Supreme court on Friday accepted the report which was based on the claims of SIT.
As per the report Setalvad along with Sreekumar and Sanjiv Bhatt instituted false and malicious criminal proceedings against innocent people with an intention to cause injury.